The bank note bundling machine has been used for bundling a bank note stack of a predetermined number of bank notes, generally, one hundred bank notes, with a bundling tape, namely, a wrapper, in a bank note bundle.
The market using the bank note bundling machine trends in recent years toward identifying denominations of bank notes in bank note bundles by colors. To deal with such a trend, tape reels respectively holding bundling tapes of different colors, such as red, yellow, green and such, indicating denominations of bank notes are prepared. When bank notes of a denomination being bundled are changed for those of another denomination, the tape reel holding a bundling tape of a color indicating the former denomination is unloaded from a tape supply unit and the tape reel holding a bundling tape of another color indicating the latter denomination is loaded into the tape supply unit.
Thus the tape reel inevitably needs to be changed when the denomination of bank notes to be bundled is changed. Therefore, the bank note bundling machine is applicable without inconvenience to monetary fields where the denomination is not changed frequently. However, when the bank note bundling machine is applied to monetary fields where denomination is changed frequently, a troublesome tape changing operation needs to be performed frequently and much time is spent for changing the tape reels. Thus the bank note bundling machine has not yet been applied to practical uses in monetary fields where denomination is changed frequently.
The following measures have been devised.
A trial bank note bundling machine was fabricated and tested. A bundling tape capable of being commonly used for bundling bank notes of different denominations and not indicating any particular denomination was loaded into a tape supply unit of the bank note bundling machine. The bundling tape pulled out from the tape supply unit was fed along a tape feed passage to a bank note bundling unit. A printing mechanism capable of printing colors indicating different denominations on a bundling tape was placed on the tape feed passage to print the bundling tape with a color indicating the denomination of bank notes to be bundled by the bundling unit.
The bundling tape for bundling a bank note stack is extended such that a leading end part of the bundling tape projects forward from the terminal end of the tape feed passage in a predetermined phase of a bundling process. The leading end part of the bundling tape is gripped by a tape gripper disposed at a tape gripping position near the terminal end of the tape feed passage. The tape gripper gripping the leading end part of the bundling tape revolves round the bank note stack placed in the bundling unit. A tape feed means placed on the tape feed passage performs a forward feed operation to feed the bundling tape such that the bundling tape has a predetermined slack while the tape gripper is revolving round the bank note stack. Consequently, the bundling tape is wound loosely round the bank note stack. Subsequently, the tape feed means performs a reverse feed operation to wind the bundling tape fast round the bank note stack by taking up the slack.
As obvious from the foregoing description, the length of the bundling tape fed to the bundling unit is very long as compared with the length of the bundling tape needed to bundle the bank note stack.
Therefore, the trial bank note bundling machine prints a part of the bundling tape to be used for bundling bank notes of a denomination different from that of bank notes being presently bundled with a color indicating the denomination of the bank notes being bundled. Therefore, the unused leading part of the bundling tape printed with the color indicating the denomination of the bank notes bundled by the preceding bundling process must be cut off manually with a pair of scissors or the like and an unprinted leading part of the bundling tape needs to be set at the predetermined position on the tape feed passage.
Thus the trial bank note bundling machine requires additional work for cutting off the printed leading part of the bundling tape printed with the color indicating the denomination of the bank notes bundled in the preceding bundling process and for placing the unprinted leading part of the bundling tape at the predetermined position on the tape feed passage.
Even if bank notes of the same denomination are bundled successively, a leading part of the bundling tape printed with a color indicating the denomination of bank notes bundled in the preceding bundling process is printed again with the same color. Consequently, the bundling tape is liable to be printed unsatisfactorily with the color and such unsatisfactory printing spoils the aesthetic appearance of the bundle of bank notes.